This is nothing short of a genius move! It sidesteps EASA’s killing of the ability to use the NPPL for certified aircraft after April 2018, which would ground all the pilots who fly on the medical self declaration.

They did leave it till the 11th hour though

I wonder why it is limited to G-reg only. They also block initial PPL applications, which the NPPL allows. So one hopes all those who fly on the NPPL still have, or can revalidate, their PPL.

Peter, the exemption applies to existing EASA licence holders only and at the moment it does nothing at all for NPPL holders or UK CAA PPL holders unless they can convert their licences to EASA equivalents before 8th April. As you say, many cannot do this for medical reasons, and the CAA have in any event already stated that the deadline to guarantee them time to process such applications has now probably passed.
I understand however that last minute attempts are in hand to see if a work around on the exemption can be done in order to ultimately allow use of current UK licences on EASA aircraft after 8th April. Personally I’m apprehensive of the likelihood of success, but to give the CAA due credit, both the original introduction of the PMD and now also its ability to be used by existing EASA licence holders are a giant leap forward.
The exemption is of course for a preliminary 12 month period only.

Yes; what will happen in the next few weeks will be really interesting… The CAA always does stuff at the 11th hour.

This measure is OK for those who fly on the NPPL, with a medical self declaration, but who have an EASA PPL (which they are not using because the medical self dec could not thus far be used with it).

I believe that is the majority of NPPL holders, although some % of them will have held the UK national PPL and yes the conversion from that to an EASA PPL isn’t going to happen in time and is in any case impossible because to apply for an EASA PPL (or the national PPL for that matter) you need a valid Class 2 medical.

For EASA PPL holders, even if that EASA PPL is expired they can get it back with a flight with an FI, or even a CRI AFAIK, or (if past the 2 years) with an FE, and such a flight can usually be organised quickly because most PPL schools have an FE.

On a quick read it sounds like you must already hold the EASA (or UK CAA national) PPL which means you must have held a Class 1 or 2 medical. Now you can downgrade the medical to the self declaration (basically, if you can drive a car, and aren’t suffering from a list of mental conditions, you can fly).

Effective until April 2020, well past brexit, it shows a lot of balls on the part of the CAA.

Since they stopped the NPPL being usable for “EASA aircraft” (basically certified aircraft), due to pressure from the EU. They they reinstated it, though only for G-regs. One thread here.

It isn’t astonishing logically i.e. from the POV of risk management. The USA has shown that the ICAO compliant medicals are virtually worthless for imcreasing safety in GA. I reckon the powerful AME lobby has lost a lot of power in the UK due to the seveal years of the NPPL with the medical self declaration and this has enabled this latest move. It won’t be duplicated in mainland Europe anytime soon, apart from some concessions.